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Austria
FP317h 42m
Kimi Antonelli fought off a spirited challenge from the McLaren duo to top Austrian Grand Prix FP2
P1) Kimi Antonelli - 1:07.014 P2) Oscar Piastri: +0.237 P3) Lando Norris: +0.325 P4) Max Verstappen: +0.550 P5) Lewis Hamilton: +0.597 P6) George Russell: +0.623 P7) Isack Hadjar: +0.744 P8) Charles Leclerc: +0.841 P9) Liam Lawson: +1.221 P10) Gabriel Bortoleto: +1.286 P11) Pierre Gasly: +1.362 P12) Arvid Lindblad: +1.364 P13) Oliver Bearman: +1.518 P14) Nico Hulkenberg: +1.545 P15) Esteban Ocon: +1.816 P16) Franco Colapinto: +1.817 P17) Alexander Albon: +1.824 P18) Carlos Sainz Jnr: +2.117 P19) Fernando Alonso: +3.530 P20) Lance Stroll: +3.684 P21) Valtteri Bottas: +4.293 P22) Sergio Perez - -
Carlos Sainz said his appendicitis and emergency surgery came at the worst possible time, after it was announced he would be replaced at Ferrari by Lewis Hamilton for 2025. Sainz said: "I think it was not so much the appendicitis itself and having to miss a race. I think it's more the moment that it came in. It had just been announced that Lewis Hamilton would replace me in Ferrari. I had just done probably one of my best season starts, finishing third in Bahrain and driving really well all the beginning of the year. And suddenly, if it wasn't enough during the winter with the bad news on top of that, this happened, this had to come, and that made me miss a race. The effect that has on a championship battle, it felt like the world had been a bit against me the last few months."
Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies says Max Verstappen “needs a fast car” to be happy at the team, amid uncertainty over whether the four-time world champion will stay with Red Bull next season. Mekies said: "I'm not asking Max every week if he's going to stay. Max has made clear to us that he wants to continue with the team. It's equally clear that he needs a fast car for him to be happy with the team. We are not asking Max every week. He is there, he's pushing with us, is helping us to find the right development paths for the car. It's not the topic for us."
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies says he will not comment on “every single rumour” about team personnel, with chief engineer Paul Monaghan set to leave the team for a senior role with grid newcomer Cadillac. Mekies said: "There are a lot of rumours about the team and the team personnel. As much as we have commented on 'GP', because he's one of our very exposed engineers, and is going into an even more exposed role, I don't think it will be right for me to comment on every single rumour that comes out. Paul is actually here today, he has been working very hard to get our cars out this morning. We also made very clear there is nothing more important to us than making sure we are in a position to keep our talents and to attract the ones we need."
Formula 1 has formally written an exhaust wing ban into the 2027 regulations, after the FIA moved to clamp down on designs that have been widely exploited this year. The Race revealed over the Miami GP weekend that the FIA was discussing action with teams, and the rules now introduce a new exhaust exclusion zone around the tailpipe while also removing the regulation that permitted tailpipe “supports”. Ferrari, which pioneered the concept, ran without its exhaust wing in Austrian opening practice with test driver Dino Beganovic as a data-gathering experiment.
Fernando Alonso says Formula One remains “the pinnacle of motorsport” even as he keeps an eye on other series, including Formula E’s new Gen4 car, with the two-time world champion out of contract at the end of 2026. Alonso said: "Dakar and rally cars in general are very fun because you're just dancing with the car. Any car, even Formula E. I think the new car next year, with four-wheel drive, seems quite fast from the tests they did. So, all cars are fast and fun, but Formula One is very unique and still the pinnacle of motorsport."
Racing Bulls boss Alan Permane says reports that Formula 2 driver Nikola Tsolov has been guaranteed a seat with the team for the 2027 Formula 1 season are “just rumours”. Permane said: "They're just rumours. Honestly, we haven't even discussed it. Not at all."
George Russell says he will be racing for Mercedes next year, playing down rumours that Max Verstappen could move to the team. Russell said: "[There is] no announcement this weekend. But I'll be racing here [with Mercedes] next year. One hundred per cent. It hasn't even been discussed [with the team and Wolff]. We don't need to discuss it. It's not even a question mark. I don't want to go into any more detail, but I will be here next year and that's the fact of it."
Lance Stroll said he was “completing the race” for Aston Martin’s mechanics and for his father Lawrence because the team’s car has been “extremely slow” this season, after his radio message in Montreal was highlighted by Formula 1. Stroll said: "We've been extremely slow all year, and Canada was one of those races where we were just the last car by a lot. In those moments, as a driver, sometimes you're just hanging on, and it's not so enjoyable out there - so you need to find some motivation. I was thinking about the mechanics who worked the long hours, and Lawrence that's built this team. I needed that little motivation to keep pounding around the track."
McLaren has shelved plans to debut its experimental ‘upside-down’ rear wing at the Austrian Grand Prix after early garage checks revealed issues before it ran in practice. The wing, fitted to Lando Norris’s car ahead of FP1, was removed and the team says it will not be used in any further session this weekend, with a return pushed to a future event. Norris said the concept “is not an easy project”, adding: “It takes time to figure out such a complicated wing like this.”
Sky Sports has told PlanetF1.com that Rachel Brookes has left its F1 team with immediate effect after more than a decade with the broadcaster, with Brookes saying she will remain involved in Formula 1 and plans to be at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix. A Sky spokesperson said: “Rachel has moved on from the Sky Sports F1 team to take on new challenges as we evolve our coverage.”
Kimi Antonelli led a Mercedes one-two in first practice at the Austrian Grand Prix as both Red Bulls and Lando Norris lost track time due to car issues.
P1) Kimi Antonelli - 1:07.796 P2) George Russell: +0.040 P3) Oscar Piastri: +0.117 P4) Max Verstappen: +0.281 P5) Lewis Hamilton: +0.665 P6) Arvid Lindblad: +0.930 P7) Lando Norris: +1.077 P8) Franco Colapinto: +1.166 P9) Dino Beganovic: +1.258 P10) Oliver Bearman: +1.275 P11) Nico Hulkenberg: +1.369 P12) Isack Hadjar: +1.685 P13) Valtteri Bottas: +1.725 P14) Pierre Gasly: +1.750 P15) Ayumu Iwasa: +1.841 P16) Alexander Albon: +1.848 P17) Paul Aron: +1.850 P18) Luke Browning: +2.183 P19) Ryo Hirakawa: +2.697 P20) Jak Crawford: +3.406 P21) Sergio Perez: +3.487 P22) Fernando Alonso: +3.537
Haas rookie Ryo Hirakawa made contact with a front-left mechanic while returning to the pits during FP1 at the Austrian Grand Prix, after missing his pit box. No broadcast footage has been shown, but the mechanic appeared to be unharmed and quickly got back to their feet. Haas later confirmed the crew member was fine after “very slight contact”.
A disastrous start to the opening practice session in Austria for multiple drivers.
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